paired
by kissmyquiver
Summary: adrien-centric. asshole!Felix. senior year. adrien's tired of ur bs, gabriel. not crack. mlb-shit-post on tumblr. updates every wednesday. rated t for swears
1. ch 1

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr.**

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Since his mother's disappearance three years prior, Adrien Agreste had truly not known love. Adrien felt other emotions, like hope when his father promised to stop by fencing tournaments, and disappointment when he didn't. Adrien still felt joy and happiness, especially while hanging out with his friends. Sometimes he felt cared for by others, but for three years, he lived absent of love.

Until one day, love fell right into his arms.

When he was eighteen, Adrien spent a lot of time in the school library. If he claimed he was doing his homework after school, Natalie often allowed him to stay and hang out with friends. It was a tiny loophole in his father's master schedule, but since enrolling in public school the trick had served Adrien well.

Sitting at one of the large tables in the center of the aisles with Alya and Nino, the trio heard a tiny grunt coming from a ways away.

Alya rolled her eyes. "That's probably Mari again."

Adrien chuckled and stood up. "I'll go check on her."

Nino shot a wink in his direction, and Adrien's cheeks turned a rosy pink. He quickly whipped away from the table and made his way towards Marinette's weird noises. Turning down one of the rows of library books, Adrien found Marinette, standing three shelves up and attempting to reach a book on the top shelf. The book cases were large, but the tiny shelves gave way to small footholds. Suddenly, Marinette teetered back and forth before letting out a tiny yelp. She fell backwards, and without thinking Adrien surged forward to catch her.

She landed softly in his arms, surprised. Time slowed down around him. Adrien looked down at the small, very beautiful girl in his arms. She was a perfect fit.

Marinette looked up at him with her large blue eyes. "Oh hey Adrien!" She smiled widely up at him. "I didn't see you there!"

Adrien blushed softly, his cheeks still a little red from before. "Well, I was in the area," he joked.

Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck and pulled herself up to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for catching me!" she said cheerfully. Mari unwound her arms and Adrien accepted the cue to put her down. "Do you think you could reach that book up there on Catherine the Great? I need it for the history report that's due next week."

Adrien smiled down at her and reached up to grab it. In a couple short years he had managed to grow almost a whole foot taller than her. He handed her the book, and the two walked back to the center table. Adrien was surprised. It had only taken him a second to fall in love with a girl he had known for years. What had changed so quickly?

Together the pair sat back down at the table. Adrien's phone began to buzz. He picked it up. "Shit," he mumbled, standing up and grabbing all of his things. He hit ignore, but the phone began to buzz again and he finally picked up.

"Hi Natalie," he paused. "Yes, I remembered. I'm on my way out. Yeah, I'll be one second." He hung up the phone and sighed.

Nino stood up from the table and clapped Adrien on the back. "Don't worry about it, dude. Everything will work out." Nino flashed him a smile. Adrien smiled back softly, said goodbye to his friends, and met his driver outside of the school.

It had started to rain, the weather now reflecting Adrien's sudden shift in mood. He set his head against the car door, trying the best he could to forget the world around him. The real storm was on its way.

Adrien's driver pulled up to his house. Adrien let himself out quickly, attempting to make it past Natalie and straight into his room. The path of least resistance had treated him well recently. The less he saw anyone, the better.

Adrien ran up the stairs and made it into his room, shutting the door quickly behind him. He let out a sigh of relief and turned around to see his father, sitting at his desk.

"Good evening, father." He said curtly, setting his book bag down on his bed.

"Good evening, Adrien."

He looked at the tall, lanky man before him. Gabriel Agreste. Paris's own. The man who built a fashion empire. The man with a resume a mile long, but not one paternal bone in his body. Gabriel stared back, his eyes cold and calculating. Once, Adrien would have disintegrated under his father's gaze, but now he could barely stand the sight of him.

"Do you need something, father?" Adrien knew he must have, or else he wouldn't have bothered to have personally came down. Nowadays the most personal of messages were passed through Natalie.

"As you may remember, your cousin Felix is coming back home to Paris." Adrien tried everything he could do to hide his distaste. "And he is moving into the guest room down the hall. I just wanted to remind you personally that what's ours is his too. I expect you to treat him with the same respect as you'd treat anyone else." Gabriel stood up. "He arrives tonight. Please do behave." Gabriel glided past Adrien without another word, shutting the door behind him.

Felix was an asshole, and that was why his father liked him so much. Every time Gabriel looked at Adrien, he saw his dead wife. But looking at Felix was easy, it was relatable. Every time Gabriel looked at Felix, he saw himself. Of course, having grown up in Gabriel Agreste's household, Adrien was accustomed to the constant, never ending bullshit. Felix would soon become just another person to avoid and ignore. Too many times Adrien had given both Felix and his father the benefit of the doubt, and too many times he had been hurt. Even Adrien Agreste had a limit.

Adrien pushed his book bag on the bed and fell into it face first. Plagg flew out from underneath him, moving up and over his head.

"I can't believe that asshole is moving in," Plagg grumbled. He moved towards Adrien's desk drawer. It was where he stored the camembert. Plagg looked down at Adrien's long blond locks. "Your luck really sucks doesn't it?"

Adrien pushed his face deeper into his pillow. "Two halves of one whole, right?" He groaned.

Plagg chuckled knowingly, and Adrien spun around to face Plagg, propping himself up on his bed. "It'll be fine, we'll figure it out."

Plagg smiled weakly before phasing through the desk drawer. Adrien pushed himself off the bed and reached over to open the drawer; once Plagg got into it he wouldn't be able to phase out with the camembert, and if he got stuck inside again he would overeat and they wouldn't be able to transform for a day or two. For something so ancient and powerful, Plagg was the opposite of everything expected. He was rash and rude, having no apparent godly wisdom to offer. Plagg was a creature of habit, but he made for a good companion.

"Hey," Plagg protested.

Adrien sat down at his desk and opened his book bag. "I'm gonna get started on some homework, but after you finish your camembert I think we should go out for a jog."

Plagg rolled his eyes but agreed. Adrien gave him a half-smile and patted his head. With Felix on the way, life was about to get much harder.

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**let me know what you think!**


	2. ch 2

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr.**

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The sky was overcast and the air was humid. Adrien was sweating, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but getting an escape from his upcoming situation. He still couldn't believe that Felix was coming to live with them, but he couldn't necessarily blame his father. The disconnect between Adrien and Gabriel had been growing exponentially. As least Felix couldn't take Gabriel's eyes off Adrien for a little longer each day, letting him escape his father's control. The idea made him sad; their relationship would probably never be the same, but there was nothing Adrien could do. He had tried everything.

Adrien made it to the gates of his huge house. The sky was nearly dark with large black clouds swirling above him. Most of the mansion's windows were dark-the house was way too big for two people-but the light to his father's study was on. Adrien shook his head and buzzed himself through the gate. He ran around to their back yard and dropped to the ground. Push-ups, sit-ups, assorted abs, repeat. Usually he didn't bother too much with working out. Being Chat Noir filled in the cracks pretty well. However, today was different.

Adrien was mad. Maybe it was a little petty, but the thought of having to go inside so soon tore him apart. It wasn't until it began to sprinkle that Adrien decided he was finished. Adrien went in through the back kitchen door. He sighed in relief, thankful that the kitchens were dark and empty.

Adrien flicked on the lights and made his way towards the fridge. He opened it and pulled out some grilled chicken saran-wrapped to a plate. He put it in a microwave after pulling off the plastic and sat, waiting for it to heat up. When it beeped, Adrien pulled it out and returned to the fridge, nearly forgetting Plagg's dinner.

"Thanks Adrien," Plagg chorused.

Adrien smiled and began to dig into his plate. As the pair finished their meal together, Adrien washed his plate and returned the rest of the camembert to the refrigerator. The pair returned to Adrien's room and Adrien hopped into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he came out of the bathroom refreshed and dressed for a busy night of homework.

There was a harsh knock at the door. "Adrien." The door opened, revealing his father's assistant, Natalie. She stepped inside, tablet in hand. "Your father has requested your presence in his study." She looked at him judgmentally. "Do put on something... a little more presentable." Adrien breathed out sharply. His father would just have to deal with his outfit- no way was he changing. Gabriel label athletic appeal would have to suffice. Natalie turned to leave and Adrien rose from his desk and followed. She frowned at him, but didn't say anything else as they walked downstairs to his father's office.

The door was closed. It was a dark and heavy wood, intended to intimidate. Natalie pushed open the door, revealing his father at his desk and his cousin Felix seated in one of the chairs in front of Gabriel's desk.

"Nice of you to finally join us, and in your best I see."

Felix snickered, eying Adrien's choice of clothes. Adrien's face didn't budge. He stayed silent. Adrien used to be afraid of his father, and especially afraid of his office. Everything was dark wood and burgundy. Adrien wasn't scared anymore, in fact, he was rather unbothered. He was almost 17, and soon he would leave and go to college. Maybe pursue a degree in something he liked and find a job far, far away from the fashion industry. If all he had to do was survive one more year, he would do whatever it took.

"Aren't you going to greet your cousin?" His father asked, except it sounded less like a question and more like a command.

Adrien moved forward toward the chair beside Felix and leaned over it, offering his hand. "Hello, cousin. Welcome back to Paris." Felix hesitated, then grasped Adrien's hand.

Gabriel nodded, and gestured to the second chair in front of his desk. "Do sit down."

Adrien complied, his face unmoving.

"As you may know, Felix has moved back to Paris in order to finish his senior year at a strong school, so that he may take the Bac and study at a strong university." Adrien frowned. Felix was a year older, so he should have been in university already. "After his Japanese business internship last year, Felix could use some help getting back into the rhythm of academia. I fully expect you to devote any extra free time you have to catching your cousin up on his studies."

_Fuck_, Adrien thought. As if he had any free time anyways.

"You will tutor him for one hour every day. You will travel to school together and introduce him to your little friends. I expect you to fully commit to Felix's acclimation."

"Yes, father."

Gabriel turned to Felix, his eyes softening for half a second. "Felix, you have my apologies in advance for not being around very often-" Adrien interrupted with an involuntary huff "-but if you ever need anything do not hesitate to ask Adrien, Natalie, or myself via my private line." Adrien snorted. He'd believe it when it happened.

"Is that all, father?" Adrien asked, ready to leave. "I have lots of homework to finish."

"You are dismissed."

Adrien shot out of his seat, bounding back to the door. Natalie opened it quickly, and just like that Adrien was free.

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By the time he made it to his room, the thunderstorm was at its climax. Adrien turned off his overhead lights and turned on his desk lights. He hit a button on a remote and opened his blinds. He didn't _really_ have that much homework, but he did have a patrol planned for later that night. It was the best day of the week, the day that he and Ladybug finally patrolled together. He grabbed the burn phone the pair used to contact each other outside the suit. He had it on his person nearly at all times, just in case of an emergency. He dialed 1, Ladybug's speed dial.

The phone rang, and on the fourth ring a small voice picked up.

"Hello? Chat? Is everything all right?"

"Of course, my lady." Adrien sat back in his desk chair, a smile spreading on his face for the first time since earlier that day. "How's the weather where you are?"

"Pretty bad," she responded honestly. "Do you want to postpone until later?"

"Sounds purrrfect."

He could almost hear her eyes roll through the phone. "How does zero-two sound?"

They agreed to the time, and reminded each other to be careful. Rain often made rooftops slippery, and maintaining cover after a quick phone call was always tricky, regardless of where they were. After Adrien hung up he put the phone back into his book bag. When he looked up, Felix had materialized at the entrance to his room.

"Cousin," Felix greeted coldly.

"Hello, Felix. What do you want?" Adrien crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his desk chair. The boy in front of him was slightly taller with somewhat blonder and more translucent hair. Felix smoothed down his suit. Without glasses, Felix was a nearly striking image of Gabriel Agreste.

"Tomorrow morning, the car will leave at 0730. I expect you to be a dear and introduce me to your classmates and teachers."

"Whatever, Felix." Adrien unwrapped his arms and turned towards his homework. "This is public school. It's nothing like you know, I promise."

Felix's blue eyes shone coldly. "Exactly the reason I require your assistance." He moved back towards the door. "Tomorrow, 0730. Do not be late, cousin."

Adrien rolled his eyes and Felix's back. The door shut and Plagg appeared from behind Adrien.

"Are you gonna tell him you walk to school?" Plagg asked cheerfully.

Adrien chuckled. "Nope."

The rest of the night was spent finishing his homework before getting into bed around ten. It was a little earlier than usual, but because patrol had been pushed back he didn't mind finding the time for a little extra sleep. Adrien set a quiet alarm for 0155 and fell asleep. By the time it went off, he was decently rested and ready for a short patrol. Silently he opened his window and transformed before jumping towards the ground below.

The air was much cooler than earlier in the day, and everything was slightly damp. The air smelled fresh, cleaned by the rain that fell slightly prior. Adrien took a deep breath, looking out at the city- his city- from the top of his mansion. The lights were breathtaking. He was so thankful for the double life, for the escape it provided, regardless of how strange the hours or tiring the task.

With a flick of his baton, Adrien was hurdling through the air towards their usual meeting spot. It was a roof, slightly higher than the rest that was "equidistant" from the areas of the city that they both lived in.

"You're late," Ladybug's stern voice was music to his ears. He could tell she wasn't that annoyed, but instead just tired and irked.

"I'm sorry." He smiled at her and the pair moved in for a side hug greeting. "Have you slept yet tonight?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.

"No," she signed. He didn't need to see under the mask to practically see the bags under her eyes. "I've been up working on this blasted history project."

He cringed and she laughed. "How about you, how was your night?"

He sighed, letting his guard down slightly. "The workload wasn't bad, but it was one of the worst nights in a while."

She nodded quietly. He never said enough about his home life to give away his identity, but she knew his situation was far from good. "I finished as much homework as I could and went to bed early."

"I'm sorry, Chat." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Fourteen year old  
Chat Noir was quaking, but seventeen year old Chat Noir was thankful for her comforting presence. Although his crush on his partner hadn't necessarily faded, he was older, wiser, and mature enough to understand why they couldn't be. Accompanied by the passage of time, Adrien had realized how unhealthy his feelings for Ladybug had really been. He had put her on a pedestal, so high above anyone else. At first, it hadn't been an issue, but when it kept him from holding her accountable for her actions the pair decided something needed to change. It wasn't real love, it was extreme infatuation-not at all the foundation for a working partnership.

Chat Noir smiled lightly. "Which way today, my Lady?" He asked, changing the subject back to the task at hand.

"Let's do route A today," she suggested. He nodded and the pair took off, side by side into the silent Parisian night.

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**let me know what you think!**


	3. ch 3

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr**

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The next morning was a rude awakening. Patrol had only taken about an hour, but the alarm going off at 0700 wasn't doing Adrien any favors. Knowing Ladybug hadn't gotten any sleep made him anxious for her; he hoped she could find the energy to survive the long school day ahead.

"Nooooooooo," Plagg groaned, shaking himself out of Adrien's long locks.

Adrien rolled over and hopped out of bed. He quickly put on some jeans and a button up shirt. He scooped up Plagg and brushed his teeth. He put some hair gel in and pulled his hair back into a ponytail, then grabbing his book bag he raced downstairs. Adrien specifically decided to avoid the dining room knowing that Felix was for sure eating in that area, and instead opted to move downstairs into the kitchen. Like normal, he grabbed an apple and ducked out of the back door.

He looked down at his watch. It was 0710. When he made it outside the gate, Adrien's heart rate settled down. Usually no one minded when he walked to school, but with Felix around the tune was sure the change. He walked in silence, appreciating the emptiness of the early morning streets. Although the media still liked to follow him around, the quick and early walk to school was never usually an issue, especially if he stayed out of press. Soon he approached Marinette's house, where he usually met her for an early walk to school.

They had begun the tradition of walking together to school when it became readily apparent that Marinette would never be on time for school without some sort of external motivation. Never wanting to let any of her friends down, Adrien walking her to school was the perfect solution. Gabriel had not been a fan of the idea, but Adrien couldn't care less and after months of Adrien sneaking out early, eventually Gabriel stopped caring too.

Adrien opened the door to the bakery and stepped inside. The bell rang softly above him.

"Good morning Adrien!" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng called from behind the back counter. Mr. Dupain-Cheng waved from the back, still busy making preparations for the day. "Marinette is still getting ready. She had a long night last night. I'm pretty sure I heard her finally go to bed at three AM."

Adrien cringed. Marinette had the worst sleep schedule of anyone he knew, and he was friends with Ladybug. Not even a second later, Adrien heard a yawn from the top of the stairs. Marinette turned the corner in all of her sleepy glory, holding two coffee thermoses. Adrien's heart skipped a beat. She was even cuter when she was tired. Mari handed a thermos to Adrien, slinging her backpack around her back.

He smiled, looking down at her. "How did you know?" he asked.

She yawned again. "I had a feeling," Marinette responded. Her eyes were dark and she looked like she was having trouble keeping them open. He thought it was adorable.

Adrien looked at his watch. 0720. "Come on, Mari. It's time for school."

She nodded and yawned again, and the pair waved goodbye to her parents.

"How was your night last night?" she asked when they finally got out the door.

Adrien grimaced. "Pretty terrible. Brace yourself for a big surprise-a bad surprise-today at school."

She frowned and began to speak, but was cut off by a sleek black car pulling up behind them. Adrien groaned, quickly putting himself between Marinette and the road. He wanted to keep her as far from Felix as possible. The car didn't stop, but it did slow down, taking its time to drive past them.

"Don't look," Adrien told her. Marinette obeyed, and when the car finally passed the pair she turned and looked up at him.

"Who was that?" she asked.

He sighed. "My terrible night," he replied. They approached the steps of the school, in front of which the black car that trailed them was sitting. "You go inside," Adrien mumbled. "I'll catch up."

Confused, Marinette turned to head up the stairs, but she was stopped short by what was happening behind her. Out of the sleek black car stepped a tall and lanky blond boy with piercing green eyes. If Marinette knew any better, she would think that they were twins.

"Adrien!" the voice called. The boy smoothed down a suit, obviously overdressed for a normal high school day. Unbothered, he wore the confidence and swagger of the Agreste family, completely unashamed that a surrounding crowd had begun to form, eyes on him.

"Hello, Felix," Adrien grunted. Beside her, Marinette could feel his whole body tense up. Adrien was usually very cool, calm, and collected, regardless of the circumstances. He always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, regardless of their past. _If Adrien doesn't like him,_ Marinette thought, _then he must be a really, really bad guy._

"Why don't you introduce me to your beautiful friend?" Felix asked. Before Marinette could even process what was happening, he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. He was ice cold.

Adrien quickly interceded, putting himself between Felix and Marinette. "That's enough of that." He glared at Felix. "Marinette, this is my cousin Felix. Felix, this is my best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Felix winked. It was one of the worst things Adrien had ever seen. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien moved closer to Mari, his body tense. She could tell he was trying to make himself bigger, standing up straight with his chest out. Marinette had never seen Adrien act so protective of her. Adrien leaned in close to Mari's ear. "Go on ahead. I have to show him around."

Marinette nodded, turning around and beginning to climb the stairs into the school. "It was nice to meet you Felix."

"The pleasure was all mine."

Adrien reached behind Felix, grabbing his cousin's briefcase out of car. He shut the door and waved the Gorilla on. He pulled away and Adrien turned to his cousin, pushing the briefcase into his arms. "Come on. I'll show you around."

The pair walked up the stairs and into the school. "So just a friend, huh?"

"Yep," Adrien responded curtly.

"So maybe I could -" Felix began.

He was cut off by Adrien. "If you even try to get near her, I kill you."

Felix grinned. "Big talk from a little man."

"Don't patronize me." Adrien was an inch or two shorter, but he had a good twenty pounds of muscle on his cousin.

They made it to the main office, where Adrien introduced Felix to the administrative staff. Thanks to Natalie, his class schedule was ready for pick up and the pair were granted a pass to get out of homeroom and tour the school.

"First stop, the locker room," Adrien told Felix.

"I will not be putting anything in one of your gross school lockers," Felix stated, a matter-of-factly. His nose was scrunched up in disgust.

Adrien strode past him calmly. "What do you want then? An award?" Felix frowned. "I'm going, so either way, you're coming along."

They spent the next 40 minutes just strolling around the grounds. For the most part they walked in silence, with Adrien interjecting about where they were and what the purpose of the area was.

The first bell rang. They had five minutes until first period. Adrien led Felix to physics; he pushed the door open and was greeted by twenty pairs of eyes. He quickly sat down beside Marinette in the second row, leaving Felix to fend for himself with Chloe Bourgois.

"Felix!" Her shrill voice came as a surprise to nearly everyone in the class. Adrien flinched and Felix's eyes widened. "How are you? Come sit next to me!"

He stepped toward her. The only empty seat in the room was next to her. "Hello, Chloe." His greeting was somber, but it didn't deter Chloe at all. She wrapped her arms around his torso, looking up at him with wide eyes and trapping his arms at his sides. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was uncomfortable. Usually Adrien didn't find pleasure in other's pain, but this time he held back a smile.

"Ms. Bourgois!" Chloe snapped herself off Felix and swiftly moved back to her seat. Felix smoothed out his suit and regained his composure, and sat next Chloe across the aisle from Adrien and in the first row. When he settled in, the teacher addressed him directly. "Mr. Agreste, would you mind introducing yourself to the class?"

Felix stood up and faced the classroom. "My name is Felix Agreste. I am Adrien's cousin, and I was interning abroad for a large corporation last year, which is why I am here finishing my schooling."

The class erupted in conversation. "They look so alike," Adrien heard someone say. He clinched his jaw in response. Sensing his tension, Marinette tapped his hand with hers reassuringly. He relaxed slightly, but didn't unclench his teeth until Felix returned to his seat. Adrien breathed out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in. It was gonna be a long year.

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**let me know what you think! **


	4. ch 4

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr.**

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Lunch came quickly, much to Adrien's disappointment. At least in class Adrien could focus on his studies without needing to worry or watch Felix's every move. When he finally thought he caught a break, Adrien sat down between Marinette and Nino at their normal lunch table. It was only a matter of time before Felix came over to ruin it all.

"Dude," Nino began, "what's the deal with this guy?"

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Felix is my cousin."

"Are you sure?" Alya asked. "You guys could be twins." Adrien grimaced, but knew Alya was right. The only real difference was the inch and a half that Felix had on him, and the complete darkness and chill in his cousin's eyes. To someone who didn't know the pair well, they might as well be impossible to tell apart.

"I'm sure," he responded quickly. "He was interning at a big business firm in Japan last year. My father offered him a place to stay and study in exchange for his future dedication to the company. It's pretty frustrating, he's like the prodigal son; he can't do anything wrong in the eyes of my father." The table got quiet. No one moved a muscle. "I think he's planning on giving him the company."

"Isn't that a good thing Adrien?" Marinette asked. "You never really wanted to go back to fashion anyways."

"Yeah, I guess I'm not that mad about it, but who knows, I might have really liked the business side of things. But now I'll probably never know." He paused. "They're just really similar people. It's more annoying that I have two Gabriels to deal with instead of just one."  
Marinette nodded in understanding. "If you need anything, Adrien," her blue eyes shone brightly as they looked up at him, "anything at all, a place to go, a warm meal, a friend, don't be afraid to ask us."

Adrien nodded, but said nothing. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden to anyone, least of all his best friends. "It'll be alright," he told her. "It's just an adjustment."  
His friends nodded, staring at him silently as if they were trying to read his mind. Before anyone could say anything else, Felix appeared out of nowhere and sat down next to Marinette. He grabbed her hand, but Marinette retracted it quickly, obviously uncomfortable.

"Hello Felix," Adrien spoke up. His voice was sharper than normal, using a tone that his friends had never heard.

"Cousin," Felix greeted, a slight tone of amusement in his voice, "won't you introduce me to the rest of your friends?"

Adrien complied. "You know Marinette," he gestured towards her. "This is Alya, and this is Nino."

Felix held out his hand to each one at a time, who both accepted and shook his hand firmly. "So what does everyone do?" he asked, sitting down on the other side of Marinette. The conversational attempt seemed genuine enough, but Adrien knew better. The group shared some awkward glances and over at Adrien, who crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair.

Nino, living up to his courageous reputation began first. "Well, I'm a DJ on the weekends-"

Felix interrupted. "Are you any good?"

Nino frowned, looking taken aback. "I mean, I started the business for fun about a year ago. It's always been something I wanted to try. I'm not making any huge money, but I have a couple of consistent gigs and a pretty solid fan following."

Felix nodded, obviously feigning interest. "So will you pursue a higher education?"

Nino's eyes narrowed. "I mean, I would like to. I don't think I want to be a DJ forever. I think I want to learn more about mixing techniques and music technology. Right now the end goal is to produce music someday."

Felix scoffed. "Hardly a worthwhile profession, but good luck."

Adrien clenched his jaw and his fists. He was beginning to get a tension headache from all of the stress he had felt today.

"How about you?" Felix moved on to Alya.

"I'm a freelance journalist," she deadpanned.

Felix nearly let out a laugh. Nino sat up a little straighter and leaned closer to Alya. Adrien was pissed, and he couldn't hold it in any more.

"Alya runs the Ladyblog," he told his cousin. "I'm sure you've heard of it."

"So you write fanfiction about Ladybug and Chat Noir, huh?" Felix began to laugh.

Adrien shot up, leaning over the table towards his cousin. "Felix if you don't quit it right now," he began. Marinette's eyes widened. His friends had never seen Adrien this way.

"You'll what?" Felix teased.

"I'll knock you on your ass."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, cousin."

Adrien didn't move. "I'm not kidding. Either be nice, or get the hell out of here."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll play nice." He turned towards Marinette. "And how about you?"

"I'm a fashion designer."

Felix's lips curled in amusement. Adrien thought it was the grossest thing he had ever seen. "How convenient." He eyed Marinette and then Adrien. "How about you, cousin?"

"Thank you for stopping by and meeting my friends." Adrien's tone had never been harsher. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Felix's green eyes narrowed. He stood up from the table. "A good day to you all."

The group watched him walk away wearily. Adrien relaxed, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry guys."

Marinette placed her hand on top of his reassuringly, and Adrien's heart skipped a beat. It was the second time today she had done so. "It's alright, Adrien."

Alya crossed her arms in front of her chest, obviously peeved. "You're right, he really sucks."

"Do you think this is what your dad was like when he was younger?" Nino asked, having automatically drawn the parallels between Felix and Gabriel's similar outlooks.

"I can only imagine," Adrien sighed.

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. When it was time to go home Felix tried and failed to stick around Adrien and his friends in the library. After multiple attempts at conversation, Felix complained about everything he could think of before becoming tired of being ignored. After his display at lunch, no one in any of his classes was too keen on starting a conversation with him. Eventually, he called a driver and drove home. It was only then that Adrien was able to breathe a little easier. His group of friends got some work done, only sticking around about an hour or so more before everyone left for their appropriate metro stations. This was one of Adrien's favorite parts of the day: walking home with Marinette. Something about having her close, and all to himself, was calming, especially at the end of a stressful day.

He walked her to the front door of the bakery. She invited him inside, but as always, Adrien politely declined.

"I wish I could," he told her, "but after Felix's disaster of a first day I'm certain there will be some hell to pay when I get home." He looked down, kicking a stone on the sidewalk with his foot. A single, long strand of hair fell in front of his face. He quickly pushed it back behind his ear again.

Marinette looked slightly disappointed. "Seriously Adrien, if you ever need anything I better be the first person you call." She paused. "I worry about you. About your happiness."

He didn't look up. "Please don't."

She sighed. It felt like they had this conversation every single day. "You know I try not to. But this isn't a normal situation. This is way worse than it has been in the past. Enough is enough sometimes. You don't need to be some emotional crusader."

He nodded, looking back up.

"Just promise me you'll do what's best for you?"

Adrien promised her, and she wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling herself in close. He looked down at the top of her head in surprise before giving in and wrapping his own arms around her small figure.

They separated and said their goodbyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled at her for the first time that day.

"Bye Adrien," she called out and waved before pushing the door to the bakery open and disappearing inside.

The walk home, although not a long one, was stretched out as long as possible. At every street corner he thought about what Marinette said. _What would make me happy?_ He thought. _What could make this situation even a little better?_ When he finally arrived home, he buzzed himself through the gate and then walked in through the front. A bold strategy, but he had such a long day, Adrien wasn't even slightly fazed by the idea. He was greeted by Natalie, standing straight with her trusty tablet in hand, in the main foyer.

"Adrien," she nodded curtly. He walked past her, uninterested in whatever reprimand she was about to give him. Natalie followed him upstairs and into his room. "You need to get changed," she told him. "There is a surprise photoshoot in Milan early tomorrow morning that you absolutely cannot miss."

Adrien whipped around. "Are you serious? I thought we agreed to no more photoshoots my senior year. I thought studying for the Bac would take higher priority."

Natalie sighed. "Your father agreed to cut back your ECAs, not to less work."

Adrien dropped his bag on his bed. There it was: the icing on the shit cake of his day. He sighed, taking a deep breath. "What time do I leave at?"

Natalie checked her watch. "A jet is waiting for you at CDG. It leaves in about three hours. I'll call a car in two."

"That won't be necessary." Natalie stopped moving and at him from her position across the room. "I'll show up, I promise. I just have some things I have to get done before I leave." She nodded, making note of it in her scheduler.

"Fine. If you don't make it there by 2030, you're flying commercial."

He nodded and she left the room, closing the door behind her. Adrien sat down on his bed and sighed. He put his head in his hands and reached back, pulling his hair out of its bun in the back of his head. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking it out and freeing it from its helmet-like shape on his head. At once, his hair was something he was proud of, something that made him feel unique. But a year or two ago, such paradigm began to change. Suddenly, he realized that people didn't want _him_, they wanted his _face_, his _hair_, his _body_, all for the sake of their reputation, magazine, or product. On top of it all, it got in his way while he was Chat Noir and it took a while for him to shower.

Although there was no way for him to get out of tomorrow's shoot in Milan, maybe he would be able to get out of future shoots by chopping off his beautiful blond locks. He has little to no attachments to it anymore, and the thought of his father's face when he saw the photos made Adrien smile. Gabriel acted as if Adrien were some kind of Sampson – cut off his hair, and Adrien would lose all of his strength. Moving around the room and beginning to pack some smaller items, Adrien weighed the pros and cons of cutting his hair. Before he could even begin to second guess himself, Felix burst into the room.

All of Adrien's doubts evaporated. Chopping off his hair would mean that Adrien would no longer look exactly like his asshole cousin.

"Hello, Felix," Adrien greeted, not looking up from his packing. "What can I do for you?"

Felix's green eyes shone angrily. "What was that at school today?"

Adrien stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Do you mean the part where you insulted all of my friends? Or the part where you were just a major dick?"

Felix huffed. "All of your little friends are beneath us, cousin."

Adrien stared straight into his eyes. "You don't _know _them Felix." He paused, knowing that in order for his words to have any impact, Adrien would need to speak Felix's language. Felix was as dense and uncompromising as Gabriel, two traits that didn't seem to be carried on Adrien's maternal side of the family. "Nino makes amazing music mixes. He really wouldn't have to go to school if he didn't want to. He plays at some of the most amazing eighteen and over clubs in Paris all weekend, and last month some of his work trended on iTunes. Alya runs the most heavily trafficked websites in the country. She's written and interviewed for dozens of major news stations. She literally pioneered an entire genre of journalism. And Marinette is extremely talented. She's designed for Jagged Stone and amassed a pretty sizeable social media following to promote her work."

"You might not understand it now, Adrien," Felix stepped forward, meeting his cousin right at face level, "but you're destined for something much, much greater. If you choose to let go of these simple, tiny distractions, you could have everything the world has to offer." He placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder. The intent was much kinder and softer than the execution. Adrien looked down at it in confusion. "You're an Agreste, Adrien. Not some nobody."

Adrien pushed Felix's arm off his shoulder.

"Just think about what I said, cousin." He moved to the doorway.

Adrien snorted. "I won't," he promised. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Please think about what _I've said_, and find some value in your new classmates. Or else this will be a lonely year for you." He looked down at his bag and when he looked back up, Felix was gone. Adrien sighed, knowing that no matter how hard he tried Felix would ignore him.

He shut his door and called Ladybug to let her know the situation. She okay-ed it – Hawkmoth had been extremely inactive recently, and one day away wouldn't hurt anyone. Afterwards, he shot his friends a text in their group chat, and then Marinette individually. She responded immediately, and Adrien grabbed all of his stuff before leaving.

"You have enough camembert, Plagg?"

The tiny god responded joyously. "Enough for a year."

"Sweet. Let's get out of here."

Adrien checked himself out in the mirror on the way out the door. He wore a big, black hoodie and a pair of black joggers, his standard airport attire. When he arrived at the bakery, Adrien pushed open the front door and breathed a sigh of relief with the sound of the little bell.

"Adrien!" he heard a small voice greet him from the behind the counter.

Adrien dropped his duffle bag to the right of the door, and walked forward to greet Marinette's mom. "Hello Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!" He reached down and gave her a hug.

"Marinette is upstairs waiting for you!" she told him. "Come on up!"

Adrien smiled and followed Mrs. Dupain-Cheng up the stairs. Marinette was sitting at the kitchen counter, drawing in a sketch book. She had a perplexed look on her face, concentrating on whatever she was designing. She looked up at him and her mother, her face changing in an instant.

"Hey Adrien!" she stood up to greet him with a hug. "What is your big emergency? You know, besides leaving for Milan in two hours." Mrs. Dupain-Cheng excused herself back downstairs.

Adrien looked down at Marinette and smiled. "So you're really good at designing things," he began.

"I'm not sure I would say that, but I'll let you continue." Her smile was as wide and as bright as the sun, and her arms were still wrapped around his torso. A small blush began to creep up his cheeks.

"And you also cut a lot of fabric," he continued.

"Uh huh."

"Well, do you think you could cut my hair?" he asked.

She pulled away and reached up, running his fingers through his mane. "Oh Adrien," she started. "Are you sure? It's a big decision and _everyone_ will be talking about it tomorrow."

"Yes," he told her firmly. "It's the perfect F-you to my father, the media, and the best part is that I will never look like Felix again."

She patted his cheek and giggled. "Honey, you still share the same face." He frowned. "As long as you thought about it, I'll try my best."

"Thank you so much, Mari." He smiled. "Tomorrow everyone will be wanting a Dupain-Cheng original haircut."

She laughed, and it was the purest sound he heard all day. "Come on," she motioned, picking up a kitchen stool and pulling it towards the bathroom. Adrien grabbed it from her and followed her into the small space. She flicked on the lights and picked up a couple towels, spreading them all over the floor. Adrien set the stool down in front of the mirror, and Mari gestured for him to sit down. He complied.

"Wait here," she told him. "I'll go grab my dad's hair trimmer and some scissors. You look for some online inspiration."

By the time Adrien found something that he liked - a mid to low fade with something a little longer on the top – Mari returned with a pair of scissors and a trimmer. Adrien took his sweatshirt off and she placed a smaller towel around his shoulders.

"So what are we doing?" she asked excitedly.

He showed her the picture, propping it up on the counter.

Her eyes widened. "Are you sure? That's a big difference."

He nodded.

"Has your hair ever been that short?"

He shook his head. "Not that I can remember."

Mari smiled wide. "You're a much braver man than I am, Adrien Agreste." Then she got to work.

* * *

**let me know what you think!**


	5. ch 5

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr.**

* * *

Adrien made it almost a full twelve hours before being recognized. He made it to Milan and showed up for work before anyone even looked his direction. It was so refreshing.

Unfortunately for him, once the discovery was made it had the opposite of the intended affect. If all of Paris was in love with him before, it was a hundred times worse now. The shoot director loved the new look, thanking Adrien incessantly for letting his magazine be the first to debut his first work with shorter hair. All of the gossip blogs made his transformation out to be something bigger than it was; a simple haircut was being compared to Taylor Swift's Redemption album. Adrien had to roll his eyes at that comparison. If anything he was trying to quit modeling, not transform his image and jumpstart his career.

At first, Adrien was a little frustrated with how the media perceived him, but as the day progressed he remembered what Marinette had said and became more confident that he made the right choice. It wasn't about looking pretty, it was about pissing off his father. Regardless of the media's perception, making such a drastic change was sure to have done the trick.

For once, Adrien felt in control of his life. It had been so long since he had a good time at a photo shoot. Modeling was always something his father was in control of. Be at this place, at this time, wearing this thing, looking like this. But making the choice to change his own look was liberating, so much so that after the shoot's conclusion Adrien asked for a digital copy of one of his favorite pictures: a black and white side profile picture. It perfectly displayed his new haircut, and Adrien knew that posting it on Instagram was the perfect way to get his father's attention, that is, if Gabriel hadn't noticed already.

The caption, Adrien decided, would thank the crew and magazine for one of the best shoots he had ever been a part of. He knew that he wasn't completely ready to disregard his father's requirements, even though he was posting a picture without his father's permission, so he kept the caption clean and professional. He tagged the stylists, makeup artists, photographer, and magazine in the caption, giving them the credit they deserved. In a tiny act of rebellion, he tagged Marinette's Instagram profile to the photo itself, just above his ear. It was an obvious reference to his haircut, and the first time a friend's profile had been featured on his Instagram.

Right as the plane began to taxi down the runway, Adrien posted the picture. Satisfied, he turned off his phone and settled in for the shot hour and a half flight back to Paris. It felt like the perfect time for a nap.

* * *

When he landed, the media was going insane. Getting off the plane on the tarmac, Adrien threw his hoodie up over his head and put on a pair of dark sunglasses.

"Adrien!" the paparazzi called out. "Is Ms. Dupain-Cheng your girlfriend?"

"Why did you cut your hair?"

"What is your current relationship status?"

He tried and failed to conceal his smile. The Gorilla opened the car door and Adrien slid inside, right next to Natalie.

She looked _pissed._ Her eyes bore into the side of his head, Adrien could nearly see the fire in her eyes. He took off his sunglasses and pushed his hood down, revealing his cleanly buzzed blond hair. Gorilla got into the car and drove out of the airport. The vehicle stayed completely silent until they were back onto the road.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Natalie asked, clearly fuming.

"What do you mean? Am I not allowed to get a haircut like everyone else in the world?"

"No, Adrien, you're not!" She growled. "You can't." Adrien couldn't think back to a time where Natalie was emotional as she was just now. "You represent the Agreste brand. You cannot 'just get a haircut.' Do you understand the magnitude of what you have done? How many fires I've had to put out, with your father and the media?"

Adrien sighed and leaned back in his seat, looking at the ceiling of the car.

"Listen, Natalie, I'm sorry I didn't warn you before I did it, but I'm not sorry I did it. It's just a haircut. You know I'm a good kid, and that I'd never do anything to misrepresent my family or the brand. But, it's just a haircut. I wasn't arrested for drug use or for stealing or anything."

"Yes, Adrien, maybe so but-"

"No, Natalie. I will not feel bad about getting a haircut."

"Your father-"

"Will have to deal with it. What's done is done."

The car became silent.

"Just be careful," Natalie warned him, "you're already on thin ice with your father."

The car pulled through the gate, stopping in front of the house. As it rolled to a stop, Adrien responded. "If you really cared about my well-being, you would have intervened a long time ago." He grabbed his bag from between them, opening the car door and stepping out. "You don't get to pick and choose when you care about a person. So cut the bullshit and don't pretend to care about me now, because it just happens to be convenient for you."

He shut the door, and Natalie was left speechless. Adrien was done feeling sorry.

* * *

Once Adrien made it back to his room safely, he took the time to turn his phone back on. His notifications were off, but when he checked his Instagram there was more activity than he had seen in the whole last month.

Six. Million. Likes.

As everything began to load, Adrien started receiving texted that he had missed while in the air. His group chat was blowing up. The feedback was in, and everyone who loved Adrien loved his new haircut.

There was a knock at the door. It was Natalie.

"Your father has requested your presence in his study." She looked down at the ground in front of him, unable to meet his eyes.

Adrien nodded and rolled off his bed. The last twenty-four hours had been plenty of time for him to prepare for the shit show ahead. He wasn't nervous, thanks to Natalie's little warmup confrontation. Adrien pushed the door open and walked into the room. Natalie softly shut the door behind him. Adrien was on his own. He stood up straight in front of his father's desk, both hands tensely in fists at his sides.

"Sit down."

Adrien complied, leaning back on his chair and gripping the arm rests. If he was about to catch hell, he might as well be comfortable.

"Would you care to explain to me, why you felt the need to cut off your hair without consulting Natalie or myself?"

"Isn't it obvious, father?" Adrien asked. Although he knew he was about to get in a shit ton of trouble, Adrien was still one hundred percent certain that this was the dumbest conversation he and his father had ever had – and they had a lot of dumb conversations. "It was time for a change."

His father's eyes were radiating cold, angry energy. "Quit this adolescent insolence at once."

"What do you want from me, father?" Adrien asked. "Aren't you happy that your brand is getting so much positive attention? Your precious model hit six million likes on Instagram fifteen minutes ago. Your business is booming, and isn't that what you care about most? Who cares if I no longer have hair that I could barely stand to begin with. Nothing bad has come of this. You get your money, and I get to take shorter showers."

Gabriel clenched his teeth and adjusted his glasses. He couldn't argue with Adrien's business logic. "Then I suppose there's no problem here."

"Great," Adrien responded. He stood up. "Do you want to know where I go, when I do things? Then pay attention." He turned around, shutting the door loudly behind him. Adrien's heartrate had skyrocketed. He couldn't believe he had just done what he did, but he was proud of himself. No more being sorry.

Gabriel Agreste looked at the door in anger. Maybe his son had more fight in him than he had thought.

* * *

The next day at school was a whirlwind. Everyone was paying Adrien compliments on his new haircut, and paying extra close attention to his proximity to Marinette. Adrien felt pretty bad for dragging her into this. He had a hard enough time trying to figure out where their relationship stood, and he hoped that this recent episode wouldn't hurt his chances with her.

"Marinette," he called out, grabbing her hand. They were in the middle of the hallway, but the bell was about to ring so no one was around. "I am so, so sorry. I hope you're not getting any negative attention because of my Instagram post last night. I wanted to give you credit for my dope new haircut, but I hope I didn't step out of line."

She smiled. "Don't worry about it, Adrien! Your shout out sold out my online boutique in minutes and got me a dozen new commissions. I got a lot of new followers out of it too. It's a good exposure, Adrien." Marinette flashed him a smile that nearly stopped his heart. "Besides, if the worst thing people are saying is that we're dating, then I think we're doing pretty well."

Adrien nearly passed out. The only thing he heard is that she wouldn't mind dating him. "Thank you for understanding, Mari. I knew I could always count on you."

"Of course, Adrien. Anything you need, just let me know."

A huge weight came off Adrien's shoulders. She was so perfect he could barely handle it.

The day continued, revealing nothing out of the ordinary. After school Adrien found himself back home, surfing the web for an assignment he needed to make up. As his mind began to wonder, he found himself checking the Ladyblog. There was a meme that often frequented the front page. It was a tiny white box in the upper right corner titled 'Days Since Last Akuma.' For the first time that Adrien could remember, the number was upwards of twenty days.

Nearly three weeks since the last attack. Three. Whole. Weeks. Adrien frowned to himself and brought up his online calendar that kept track of every akuma. They usually occurred in a two week pattern – two weeks on, two weeks off.

Pulling out his burn phone, Adrien turned to Plagg. "This is weird, right?"

"What part?" Plagg yawned, bored. "The lack of akumas, or you calling Ladybug every night because you miss her?"

Adrien ignored him and dialed one. Ladybug didn't pick up, but he left her a message about a possible emergency patrol to talk a new strategy over. "Our favorite rooftop. Midnight."

When the time finally rolled around, Adrien locked his door and opened his window. "Plagg, transform me," he whispered. Green light enveloped him and Adrien disappeared into the night. He was a little early, but when he arrived on the roof Ladybug had beaten him there, overlooking the sparkling city below.

She turned around right as he landed. "Oh hey –" she paused and frowned, looking at his haircut, "- Chat." Ladybug strode towards him, still looking at him. "How does your kwami feel about this?" she asked. "It makes it a little harder to hide where your cat ears attach to your head, huh." She reached up, scratching behind one of them. He flinched at her touch, but then began to purr. She giggled and moved her hand down towards his real, human ears. "That's so wild. I never really thought about whether or not you had human ears underneath all of that hair." Her hand kept traveling, moving from his neck to his shoulder. "I really like it," she decided, beaming up at him.

"You do?" he asked.

"It reminds me of another famous blond who decided to chop off all of his hair this week."

_Fuck._ Adrien didn't even think about Chat Noir when he cut his hair. The two most famous blonds in Paris getting a haircut at the same time? What were the odds?

Chat smiled, trying to shrug it off casually. "What can I say? Adrien Agreste is a pretty influential guy."

Ladybug laughed, using the hand on his shoulder to shove him backwards playfully. "So you're an Adrien Agreste fan? Noted." Chat felt a blush creep up his cheeks. If only she knew. Ladybug laughed again and winked at him. "You're a braver man than I am, Chat Noir."

He blinked. Something about the way she had said that to him was extremely familiar. She sounded just like Marinette, but, she couldn't be. It was impossible. He was certain that he had seen them together at one point in time, a long time ago. He brushed the feeling of deja-vu off, chalking the interaction up to a wild coincidence.

Chat smiled meekly, rubbing the back of his neck with his gloved hands. He needed to change the subject quickly. This was too close for comfort. "So," he began, "twenty days, huh?"

Her face hardened. "Something's brewing," Ladybug agreed. The mood on the rooftop shifted in an instant. What had been fun and playful was now dark and somber. "He hasn't been this quiet in years. The last time was that one summer? You were gone a lot with your family and nothing major really happened. But then after you returned he destroyed us for weeks."

Chat nodded, remembering. "Well I guess since we don't know much we should probably just hang tight and stay diligent."

She agreed. "I know school just started up again last month, but we should maybe consider patrolling more often or working out as ourselves."

He smiled at her playfully. "With a body like this you think I'm not working out, My Lady?" he gestured to himself. "Meouch."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not kidding Chat."

"I know," he told her. "How long do you think we have? Before something really bad happens?"

Ladybug shrugged. "Maybe two days? Maybe two months? Who really knows?"

They fell into a comfortable silence. The thought made both of them nervous.

"Well," Chat started, "let's not try to worry about what we can't control, and focus on what we can. We can improve our patrol schedule and lookout for suspicious activity. We can work out more. We can spar." Ladybug nodded. He grabbed her hands. "Let's focus on making ourselves the best team we can be."

She nodded. "I agree." Ladybug looked down at the ground between them. He could see the concern written plainly on her face. Suspicion was one thing, but vocalizing their ideas as the only two verifiable Hawkmoth experts in the city was a whole different monster.

He pulled her in close, giving her a big hug. "It'll be okay," he said, resting his chin on her head. "It always is."

She sank into his arms. "I hope you're right Chat." For a minute, nothing else in the world mattered but their embrace.

It was Ladybug who pulled back first. She smiled weakly up at him. "We have to get going."

Chat nodded. "After you, My Lady." She whipped her yo-yo forward, disappearing off the roof's edge. Chat jumped after her, and the pair disappeared into the night.

* * *

**let me know what you think!**


	6. ch 6

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr.**

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed by quickly and pretty uneventfully. The akumas were sporadic and basic, and Felix began to become accustomed to school, mostly spending time with Chloe and her posse. His cousin's absence was something Adrien was thankful for because it allowed him to do his own thing with very little interactions with his family. Things at home were okay too. Felix and Gabriel got on so well that Adrien didn't really see his father – not that Adrien saw much of his father anyways. The spotlight was off Adrien, allowing him to finally live his life and do what he wanted to. For once, life was good and simple.

Adrien shrugged his backpack up and over his left shoulder. Marinette was to his right, and the pair was walking back home from school. It was almost 1700. The air began to chill and the sky was slowly becoming darker, cloudier, and more chaotic. Adrien thought back to earlier in the morning when he checked the weather, noting that there had been no indication of afternoon showers, and shrugged off the darkness ahead of him.

"What did you think of that bio test today?" he asked. Adrien knew he had aced it, but he wanted to ask Marinette. Science wasn't her strong suit, but he saw how hard she worked every day after school and couldn't help but to cheer her on.

Her eyes widened momentarily, and she crocked her neck towards Adrien. He laughed at her expression as she signed and redirected her gaze to the road ahead of them. "Don't even get me started," Marinette said. "It wouldn't have gone so badly if I had gotten a couple more hours of sleep last night."

Adrien looked at her and leaned towards her smaller figure. Her house was still a couple of blocks away, yet Adrien always found himself trying to take as much time with her as possible. Whether they took the back alleys or made a couple stops along the way, the pair always found a way to make the fifteen minute walk back from school into an hour-long ordeal. Adrien had experienced love before, before the disappearance of his mother, but this was something different altogether. He found himself boarder-line obsessed and giddy around Marinette, similar to the way that Ladybug had made him feel all those years ago. But this, Adrien knew was real and it was different.

Adrien didn't know Ladybug. Chat Noir did, but not outside of their professional relationship or the heat of combat. But Adrien knew Marinette – no barriers, no walls, no hiding. They had spent so much time together and gone through so much over the years. She was there during some of the best times, and the worst times. Through the thick and the thin, she was truly his best friend.

But best friends didn't hold hands. Or hug excessively. Or kiss, or cuddle, or do any of the things Adrien wanted to do with her so badly.

As they neared the bakery, the pair fell into comfortable silence. They stopped on the front step. The sky had continued to darken and what sounded like thunder sounded overhead. They began to say their goodbyes, when a massive shockwave exploded beneath their feet. Car alarms sounded and the ground-level windows across the street shattered.

"I –" Adrien yelled, his heart racing. _An akuma._

Marinette was already at the top of the steps, bracing herself within the doorframe. She looked at him, slightly panicked. "GO!" She shouted. Another wave hit, and Adrien could barely stand on his feet.

"Stay safe!" He yelled back over his shoulder. Adrien didn't want to leave her behind, but he knew Chat Noir wouldn't do much good in a bakery, nowhere near the Akuma. Adrien ducked into a nearby alleyway, quickly transforming. He tossed his backpack behind a garbage can, and Chat deployed his baton, soaring into the air as soon as a new wave hit, knocking him onto a nearby roof. He landed on his shoulders and on his back, before quickly rolling onto his hands and knees. He looked up, finding himself at the feet of Ladybug.

"Nice of you to stop by, Chaton." She offered him a hand and Chat quickly obliged, pulling himself up onto his feet. He looked down at the city below them, surveying the damage so far.

"I do what I can, My Lady." Another rumble, followed by another large earthquake. He looked up at the sky. "This isn't thunder." Chat blinked, his eyes watering. "Ladybug, I think its dust."

His partner nodded in agreement. "The city isn't being attacked randomly either. The dust seems to be rising from some sort of epicenter." She pointed out into the distance. "I think the underground is collapsing, which would explain why the dust clouds are rising in lines."

Chat nodded. "Well that would certainly explain all of the dust."

She squinted, scanning the horizon. "There! Towards the 14th!" The pair hopped off the roof and headed in the direction of one small plume of dust and dirt, rising into the sky like a bonfire would.

As the pair got closer, the plume became larger and larger, akin to that of a massive tornado of cloud. The air was disgusting, and way too hard to breathe in. The duo whipped out the air filter feature of their items, much like they had done when they needed to breathe underwater.

Chat glanced at his partner. Where would they even begin? Usually the akuma would come to them, seeking out their miraculouses with the thirst of a bloodhound. This time, however, such large scale and wide spread damage worried Chat. What if they were walking into a trap? Although akumas acted out for their attention, this felt unnecessary and dangerous. People could be trapped, scared, or dying. If there was ever a day to test the power of Ladybug's purification powers, today would be it. Holding his baton to his face, Adrien surveyed the area around them.

The whole block was eerie and silent. There wasn't a person in sight, for which Adrien wasn't sure whether to be worried or thankful for. Although at this point it was unlikely there were no casualties, he knew that the focus needed to be on the akuma. They couldn't risk saving someone if it meant losing the fight. If the damage was any indicator of the akuma's strength, the team was dealing with a nearly unstoppable force, one that both of them had never seen. Before either of them could say anything, the square in front of them began to crumble and cave in.

Dust, mud, and dirt flew up into the air. Chat Noir and Ladybug both closed their eyes and pressed their devices closer to their mouths. Chat waved his gloved hand in front of his face, desperately trying to increase the air quality directly in front of him. Of course, it didn't work. When Chat opened his eyes, he found Ladybug with hers still closed. The whole square had disappeared, revealing a massive, hulking figure directly in the middle. The akuma threw its head backwards, toward the sky, and screamed. It was covered from head to toe with dirt and mud.

Chat tapped Ladybug quickly. "My Lady," she opened her eyes and coughed again, "we have to move."

Ladybug nodded and the pair leapt into action. Chat went right and Ladybug moved left. He landed on the ground and took off running towards the akuma. The golem struggled to move forward, taking each step with a motion that was both painful and deliberate. Every step sent a shockwave through the ground below them. He was slow, but very, very strong. His body seemed to be made of Earth, and Chat wondered where the akuma could be within him.

The pair converged. Using her yo-yo, Ladybug wrapped the thin, yet incredibly strong wire around the monster. Chat leapt into the air, claws ready to strike. It was a well-practiced maneuver; Ladybug was to contain the akuma and Chat was to attack, yet even with all of their practice, the move did not go as planned. The wire cut completely through the akuma, freeing him instantly from Ladybug's grasp. The golem regained his range of motion with ease, slapping Chat out of the air. The fist hit him like a brick wall, throwing him backwards and into the ruins of the square.

"Chat!" Ladybug yelled. The akuma grabbed her yo-yo. He seemed to harden his body at will; the golem yanked the wire and pulled Ladybug towards him. She flew completely over his head, landing gracefully a little farther from where Chat was. _Story of my life, _Chat thought, catching the breath that had been knocked out of him. With Wonder Woman-like strength, Ladybug yanked her yo-yo out of the golem's hand. She redirected it towards Chat, scooping him off the ground and pulling him to her. When he was close enough, Ladybug grabbed him around his waist and brought them both to the roof of a building about a block away.

She set him down and kneeled beside him. "Chat, are you okay?"

Adrien blinked, still trying to process what had just happened. One of Ladybug's hands was resting against his cheek while the other tilted his chin upwards and looked into his eyes. Chat blinked, regaining focus. He flinched, jumping up and away from her.

"I'm definitely concussed," he told her, "but it's nothing a little Ladybug magic can't fix."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Chat we gotta figure something out. What is this thing? Where is its akuma?"

He shook his head slowly, very unsure himself. His head was throbbing. Chat put is fingers on his temples and shut his eyes. "It seems like he can change his density at will, which would explain how he slipped out of your yo-yo and then still knocked us into the sky."

Ladybug nodded, agreeing silently.

Chat spun around in his rooftop corner and peered over the side of the building at the monster below. He was slowly making his way towards their hiding place, possibly taking orders from Hawkmoth along the way.

"I am Earthshaker!" the monster yelled from below.

"Finally, someone with a better name," Chat mumbled to himself.

"Hawkmoth has blessed me," the monster continued. Chat sighed, spinning back around and leaning his back against the corner. His head was beginning to feel better already, but the last thing he needed was to listen another boring villain monologue. "I have control of the Earth and its minerals. Chat Noir and Ladybug, bring me your miraculous or face my wrath."

Ladybug sighed, completely understanding how her partner felt. No matter what, it was always the same. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "We will never surrender!" she shouted down at Earthshaker.

"Well then, I will just have to come get them myself!" The golem raised its arms and a wave of earth, rocks, and mud rushed upwards around all four corners of the building. Earthshaker drew from below, destroying the foundation of the building and causing the whole of it to collapse on itself. Before Chat could begin to process what was happening, Ladybug scooped him into her arms. Plumes of dust grew appeared, growing farther into the sky as each floor subsequently hit the ground.

The yo-yo's wire was soon being strained, and Ladybug released it. The pair landed on the road about a block down. Chat nodded at Ladybug, and the two split off and ran towards the akuma. The golem turned around, walking slowly in their direction. The quaking around them gave way to the street beneath them, collapsing without warning.

Together, they fell ten feet down into a sewer tunnel beneath the street. The drop was a little unexpected, but they landed comfortably in the water below, or at least Ladybug did. Being underwater as Chat was always an unpleasant experience, but when it was a surprise, the un-comfortability factor skyrocketed. It was all Adrien could do to not shout out in pain. All of the hair on his body stood straight up and down, his head throbbing in alarm. He stood up, the water level at mid-chest level. Adrien looked over at his partner, and then above them both at the sky, a gaping hole above them.

The ground began to quake. Below street level the vibrations were less severe, but still strong enough to be felt. A wall of Earth moved slowly towards them through the underground. Chat couldn't see what was happening above them, but he assumed that the ground above street level was beginning to surround the hole. They were trapped.

Ladybug's voice rang out, pure as day. "Lucky Charm!" she shouted. Out of thin air, a black and red polka-dotted wrench dropped out of the sky, making its acquaintance with her outstretched hand.

"Seriously," Chat heard her mumble.

He looked back up at the sky, which was slowly becoming harder to see. The wall of dirt was wrapping itself around the hole, rising into the sky. Earthshaker positioned himself above them both, looking down.

"This is the end, Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Ladybug didn't move a muscle or make any indication that she had heard Earthshaker. She surveyed the area around them thoroughly. The look in her eyes changed immediately. Above them, Earthshaker rambled on about the normal stuff – turn in your miraculouses, etc. Almost a whole decade later and all of the villains connected to Hawkmoth didn't know how to say anything different.

"Chat," she said quickly. He looked at her with his full attention. "Can you go up there really quickly? Distract him a little for me. I'll be back."

He nodded and sprang into action. Chat rode his baton upwards until he saw eye-to-eye with Earthshaker. The golem grabbed him with his muddy fist, redirecting all of his attention to Chat.

"Thank you Chat Noir," the golem began, "for making my job a little easier." Earthshaker had managed to capture and isolate Chat's ring hand outside of his fist. It was similar to that of getting a hand stuck in a wall. Knowing that the baton behind his back was unbreakable, right as Earthshaker reached forward for his ring, Chat deployed his baton, punching through his mud encapsulation.

The movement caught Earthshaker off guard, and that was all Chat needed. Ripping the rest of his baton through the golem's fist, Chat extended his baton and flew into the air. A massive jet of water shot straight up, hitting Earthshaker with full force. The monster screamed and began to melt, revealing a small shovel in his other hand.

Chat fell into the monster's general area and reached out, grabbing the shovel. He broke it in half, revealing a small purple butterfly. Ladybug pulled herself out of the street, soaking wet. Chat rushed over and helped her to her feet. She purified the akuma. Adrien smiled.

The whole of Paris began to put itself back together. Streets rose back up to their previous positions, bridges reappeared, and buildings rose out of the ground. It was miraculous, but Adrien couldn't help but feel worried that there would still be damage, injuries, and causalities left unrepaired or unhealed by the magic. He pushed the thought out of his head. Surely they wouldn't test the limits of her power today.

Ladybug's earrings began to beep, interrupting Chat's thoughts. "Chat, can you?" she asked, gesturing to the man between them. He was skinny and middle-aged. Chat nodded, and pulled out his baton. He called the police on a number known only to him and Ladybug. With the roads repaired, hopefully someone would come by soon enough to provide proper aid.

Chat moved towards the man's side. "Sir?" he asked. "Can you hear me? Is everything alright?"

The man jumped, sitting up and looking at everything around him. "Where am I?"

"Sir, you're safe now. You were akumatized. Do you remember anything?"

The man sat up a little straighter. He looked down at the ground between his legs and furrowed his eyes. "Well, I was down in the catacombs – the ones kinda off the grid, not the tourist trap – and I somehow managed to trap myself underground. I'd been down there for almost a whole day, and I was so so desperate to get out. Hawkmoth found me, and offered me salvation."

Chat frowned. Usually the victims were mad, sad, or frustrated. Desperation was a rarer emotion.

"Do most victims remember?" the man asked Chat grimly.

Chat nodded.

The man sighed. "I remember everything. I wasn't in control of my actions. It was like watching a movie. A terrible movie."

Chat patted the man's back reassuringly. "No one blames you for this. Ladybug fixed the city. But if you still feel bad about it, I have some good support groups for victims that I can recommend. Some of my friends have found solace in volunteer work too, if that's more your speed."

The man nodded again. "Thank you, Chat Noir. I would really appreciate that." Chat nodded again too, and proceeded to put the information into the man's phone, which had survived the water thanks to Ladybug's power. By the time he had finished, the ambulance had arrived. Chat handed the man's phone back to him, and said goodbye, shooting off into the evening sky.

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**leave me a review or two pls! see you next wednesday!**


	7. ch 7

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr. sorry for the week hiatus.**

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"Relax, Adrien," Plagg cooed, attempting to calm him down. Adrien anxiously paced the room, on the verge of hyperventilating. "There's nothing you can do about it, we've been over this. You can't control who gets akumatized."

"I know, Plagg." Adrien sighed. He fell backwards, landing on his bed in a T-pose. He sat up, putting his elbows on his knees and bringing his face to Plagg's level. "Why haven't Ladybug and I ever tried to figure out who Hawkmoth is? It's been years, and we are no closer than we've ever been."

"Well," Plagg began. "You've never really needed to know. It's not like he was doing any real damage. Sure everything he does is illegal on some level, but after Ladybug uses her restorative powers there is no real evidence to support his existence, except videos I guess. It's just magic."

Adrien's eyes furrowed and he remained silent.

"Besides, why does it matter? You and Ladybug always save the day anyways."

"Not for long, I'm afraid." Adrien looked down at the carpet between his feet.

"Well not with an attitude like that."

Adrien looked up at Plagg. "Right, sorry. It's just that, the more I think about it, the more I realize that we've been doing the same thing over and over again. It's literally the definition of insanity."

Plagg laughed. "Why mess with a winning formula?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Because it might not be winning forever." He paused. "Plagg, did any of your old chosens ever have problems like this?"

Plagg blinked, looking away quickly. "You know I'm not allowed to talk about it, Adrien."

Adrien sighed and fell back onto his back. "Yeah, I know. I just would have liked some new perspective, is all. What is Hawkmoth after anyways?"

Plagg snorted. "Your miraculous, duh."

"But why? What's so special about it?"

Plagg frowned, visually offended. "Well for starters, I-"

Adrien cut him off, "Yes and Ladybug's kwami. But why does he need both of you guys? He already has his own miraculous. What is he, a miraculous hoarder?"

He stood up, and began to pace around the room again. Adrien was on the edge of something; he could feel it. What in the world could Hawkmoth want that he couldn't achieve with his own miraculous power? If it was money, he could have made someone else rob a dozen banks by now. If he wanted someone dead, he would have killed a long time ago. If it was power he was after, he had it already.

Hawkmoth was after something different. He was after something unconventional and unattainable within the mortal realms of man. Something so delicate, with the potential to rupture and tip the balance of the universe. Something that needed both the powers of creation and destruction to maintain balance.

The only thing Adrien could think of, was resurrecting the dead. His immediate second thought was time travel, but Hawkmoth didn't seem to care much about maintaining timelines, as per his previous akumas.

_The dead, _Adrien thought,_ are in no hurry._

With his mind racing with thought and theories, Adrien grabbed the nearest notebook he could find and began to jot down everything he could think of. By his current logic, Hawkmoth must have lost someone very important to him in the last four or five years or so, prior to the beginning of the attacks. With more than 12 million people in Paris, Hawkmoth could literally be anyone.

However, this thought brought Adrien to another idea. Hawkmoth was fighting this war at his own pace and his own convenience. Regardless of how long Hawkmoth was willing to develop his strategy and the fight, Adrien had to admire his persistence. Although he never won a battle, and seldom came away with any information about him and Ladybug, Hawkmoth never gave up.

_Why,_ Adrien wondered, _would someone pursue something so relentlessly, without proof of the possibility?_

Adrien, who had migrated to his desk, tapped his pencil on his chin.

The only part of this whole situation that made sense, Adrien decided, was that Hawkmoth had seen it done, had done it once himself, or was so aware of the miraculous heritage that he was certain it could be done. The thought sent a chill down his spine. If true, Hawkmoth had, at one point, been in possession of his miraculous. And if he had used it once already, what had he done?

Adrien sat back, admiring his work. He ripped the page he was working on out of his notebook and shoved it beneath a pile of school books. When they patrolled together, Adrien would tell her his theories. For years their partnership revolved around their defensive position against Hawkmoth's attacks. If they wanted things to change, then they needed to take matters into their own hands.

-:-

The next day at school, Adrien felt really out of it. He was jumpy, anxious, and worried. Although he tried to hide it from his friends, Marinette, of course, picked up on his change in behavior right away. She reached for his arm and he flinched, jumping out of his skin and nearly scaring Marinette out of hers. A flustered Marinette dropped the coffee she was holding in her other hand; the brown liquid exploded on the white linoleum floor below.

Adrien turned around and leaned down automatically to pick up Marinette's thermos. Marinette did the same, and the pair bumped their heads together.

"Oh my," Marinette grabbed her thermos before Adrien could reach it. "I am so so sorry."

He smiled softly down at her. The mess was very on-brand for Marinette.

"It's completely fine, Mari. Let me go grab some paper towels." She nodded at him, and Adrien retrieved paper towels from the bathroom.

When he returned, Marinette thanked him and continued to apologize for the mess. They finished wiping up the coffee and Marinette threw away the paper towels.

"Adrien," she began, "are you alright?"

He nodded slowly, and then replied. "Yeah, I'm doing alright."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You seem a little worried." The concern was apparent in her voice, but Adrien couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.

"It was a rough night, but I'll survive, I promise." She looked dead into his eyes, trying to read them for more information. Adrien was mesmerized._ I never want to see her disappointed,_ he thought to himself.

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	8. ch 8

**sorry for the long hiatus! probably wont be back consistently, but expect updates soon:)**

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"Adrien." The knock on his door later that night was soft, and behind it was Natalie. Adrien looked up from his studies. It was only about 1830, but the sky was beginning to get darker sooner and sooner. Adrien's desk light was on, and he pulled out one of his ear buds.

"Hey, Natalie, what's up?" he asked. It was rare that he was ever interrupted during one of his father's prescribed study periods.

"Your father has requested your presence at dinner tonight."

Adrien sighed, and began to shut his books. "I'll be right down," he told her. Natalie nodded, turning around and closing the door softly behind her.

Natalie headed downstairs, returning to the dining room where she had come from. She opened its big door, using both hands. It had taken her a whole to acclimate to the mansion's heavy doors, but after years of practice she considered herself an expert the art of using expensive doors. She stepped inside the room, taking her place to the right of the massive oak door.

"Sir, Adrien will be right down."

Gabriel Agreste grunted, making no obvious indication of his acknowledgement. It had taken Natalie months to understand her boss's body language and quickly came to realize that words meant little to Gabriel Agreste, who spoke most plainly through actions. Natalie surveyed the room, trying her best to ignore the awkward silence that persisted after her entrance. The dining room, similar to Gabriel's office, was unforgiving. The table was the centerpiece of the room. It was extremely long, with two rather large chairs on either end- one for Gabriel, and one for his missing wife. Before her disappearance, the table had been the epicenter of numerous joyous occasions, with large elaborate centerpieces and decorations for every occasion. Recent history had left the room nearly obsolete.

Natalie was startled from her thoughts as Adrien entered the room. A place had been set to the left of Gabriel for him, and to the right of Gabriel was a place for Felix. Adrien grimaced, his jaw locking. Until Felix's arrival, it was Adrien who sat to the right of his Father. Forever a disappointment, Adrien was not surprised. Adrien strode across the room, and took a seat in front of Felix, who was leaning back in his chair with an ankle over his knee. His relaxed nature was almost as irritating as the slimy smile he wore on his lips. It mocked Adrien as he took his seat. Adrien took great care to maintain bearing- seating arrangements at dinner would not give his cousin the satisfaction of seeing Adrien bothered.

"Good Evening, cousin."

Adrien smiled curtly. "Felix, Father," he addressed them both, short and sweet.

The kitchen staff brought out the salads, and the trio began to eat. The atmosphere was intense, and Adrien could feel Felix's attention on him. After years of eating alone with his father, Adrien was a pro at managing stressful social situations.

"How was work today, Father?" Adrien attempted to make small talk to redirect his cousin's attention. At one point in his life, Adrien really did care about how work went that day. When he was younger, he wanted nothing but to please him in the hopes of maybe feeling a little bit of what he felt before his mother's disappearance. Adrien had long given up on it, asking now out of convention rather than real interest.

"It was fine, thank you for asking Adrien." His father took another bite, clearly uninterested in maintaining conversation.

Some time passed and the salads were replaced with steak and potatoes. The silence continued, broken only by the clanking of silverware. As the group slowed down, Gabriel placed his fork and knife down.

"How is school, Adrien?" he asked, dabbing his face with the provided napkin.

"It is going really well, father."

"Are you well prepared for the BAC?"

Adrien nodded. "Yes, I feel extremely well prepared."

Gabriel turned his attention towards Felix. "And how about you, Felix. Are you finding Adrien's tutoring sessions adequate?"

Felix's slimy smirk returned. "Actually, we haven't had any sessions, uncle." Gabriel turned to Adrien, his eyes somehow feeling colder than usual. "But worry not, uncle. I am well prepared for the BAC. Probably more so than Adrien."

Adrien maintained a stone cold face.

Gabriel spoke slowly and deliberately. "Well, maybe in that case, Felix, maybe you should tutor Adrien instead. It might teach him a thing or two about keeping appointments. It appears your newfound freedom has impeded your judgement, Adrien. Together you and Felix have the potential to be very strong study partners. Since you decided to disobey me before, maybe this time you'll listen if I take away from your free time."

"My studies are fine," Adrien said.

"I will not be disobeyed."

Adrien clenched his jaw.

Felix spoke next, standing up from the table and pushing his chair in. "Don't worry, uncle. Adrien's studies will improve. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you, Felix." Gabriel stood, smoothing out his suit as he did so. "You both may be dismissed."

Adrien pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the plates and silverware off the table. Although they had staff to clear the table for them, Adrien knew they had bigger issues to worry about than clearing the table. He walked into the kitchen and left through the back door. He walked into the gardens, finding the bench his mother used to sit on. Adrien took a seat, taking in the atmosphere of the night.

It was significantly cooler than it had been a couple weeks prior, but it still wasn't as cold as his father. Adrien's anger was enough to keep him warm, but he didn't like being mad. Anger was not a natural function of his personality. He hated acting like his current living situation was bad or unbearable. He knew that many other people had it worse than he did- no money, no food, no shelter. He was naturally blessed by his social standing and privilege. Adrien sighed. He just needed to hold on a little longer.

-:-

Felix let himself into Adrien's room, looking to pick a fight after a disappointing display at dinner. He was surprised to find the room dark and empty, and so naturally, Felix turned on Adrien's desk light and began to snoop around.

To Felix, Adrien was an enigma. So full of pride, it was hard for Felix to understand why Adrien felt the need to rebel against the Agreste legacy, his inheritance. Adrien belonged to the family, he belonged to the brand. His father was Gabriel Agreste, most successful of his brothers, a world-famous fashion designer and businessman. As a family, they had nearly everything: fame, money, influence. Hell, Adrien cut his hair off and a day later, so did every kid in Paris. _So why,_ Felix tried to understand, _is Adrien Agreste unhappy?_

For as long as Felix could remember, Felix didn't have a family. No parents, but he was still generously supported by his uncle. Everything he ever wanted and needed was at his fingertips, and the only thing Felix had to do was ask. But that was the problem: Felix was tired of asking. He wasn't Adrien, and he never would be.

Felix leaned forward, grabbing at a stack of books in the corner of Adrien's desk. They were school books, stacked rather neatly. What caught Felix's eye was a single sheet of lined paper sticking out between two of them. He grabbed the corner and pulled out the paper.

He gave the sheet a quick glance over, then decided to take a photo. He quickly returned it to its original hiding place. Felix sat back in Adrien's chair, putting his phone back into his pocket as soon as Adrien entered the room. He would have time to examine it more thoroughly at a later date.

"What do you want?" Adrien asked, flicking on the lights. Felix smiled. Classic Adrien, straight to the point.

"Oh, dear cousin," Felix began, standing up and smoothing down his suit.

"Cut the theatrics."

"I'm looking for you." Adrien rolled his eyes in response. "When do you want to begin our tutoring sessions?"

Adrien approached his cousin. "Get out," he deadpanned.

"Alright," Felix put his hands up in defeat, "if you insist." He slid through the door and pulled his phone out of his chest pocket. If his suspicions were correct, Gabriel Agreste would be very interested to see what his son was thinking about in his spare time.

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**mlb-shit-post on tumblr. let me know what you think!**


	9. ch 9

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr**

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Adrien slammed down a massive stack of files on the desk beside Marinette. She yelped, jumping nearly a whole foot in the air.

"Geez Adrien," she laughed. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry," he sighed, obviously distracted by the task at hand. Marinette took note and rested her hand on his knee after he slumped into the seat beside her. He began to spread out the files, one by one, on the massive table before them. There was no way to soften the blow of their mission. It was one of the few Saturdays that Adrien had off, and here he was, spending it in the city library, prepared to comb through millions of files to find something with a connection to Hawkmoth.

Adrien drew in a shaky breath. The task ahead was huge, but he knew that if anyone could do help him, it was Marinette. "I asked you here today because I want to find Hawkmoth."

Marinette's eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly and then closing.

"I know, I know, it's an impossible task. But no one in the city has been affected by these attacks like our class has been. I can't help but feel, slightly responsible for this. Like I should be doing more to help especially since –"

"- we both haven't been akumatized." Marinette finished the sentence for him, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I feel the same way," she told him quietly. He looked at her petite figure. Marinette was the strongest person he knew – besides Ladybug – hands down. Her personality and courage outweighed her physical size, but in this somber moment, Adrien couldn't help but notice how small she really was.

Marinette broke the silence first. "So, where do we start?"

He smiled weakly and turned his attention to the files spread all over the table. "Here's what I got so far. I think that Hawkmoth is after something beyond the realm of what is physically possible. We already know that Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses are the goal, but why? We know they're powerful separately, but why does he want them together so bad? What is the endgame?" Adrien paused. "It's been years, so we know that he's determined, but in no rush. Out of anything you could ever want, what's worth waiting this long? He's got power, he's got fame, and he's got the potential to have anything else except for something non-physical."

Marinette nodded, following along.

"I think, he wants to raise someone from the dead."

Adrien looked toward Marinette, awaiting some response. She pursed her lips together tightly, thinking carefully. "I think," she started, "that's the best working theory I've heard in years." She gestured to the mess in front of them. "But what I'm hearing is that you want to find out who Hawkmoth is by going through the death records of everyone in a city of over 12 million people for the time period leading up to his arrival?"

Adrien grimaced. "Well when you say it like that, it sounds crazy. But if there was even a chance this lead us in the right direction - for Ladybug, for the city – I think it's worth trying."

Marinette looked away, trying her best to keep her cheeks from becoming to red. His faith in Ladybug was rather endearing, although she wished he would give Chat Noir a little more credit. "I agree, but I think we can be more efficient than this."

Adrien pulled his list out of his pocket. It had all of the ideas he was working on in writing, along with everything he wanted to accomplish with his research. He spread it out flat on the desk and gestured to Marinette. She picked up the paper and smiled as she gave it a quick once-over.

"Well first of all," she began, "all of these records have been digitized and can be accessed online from the comfort of our own homes. Secondly, death records are usually organized by time period and chances are we won't find a lot of personal information outside of maybe a couple relatives' names and _maybe_ the arrondissement they were from."

"Huh," Adrien leaned forward. He hadn't given record organization any thought before now. "Won't knowing where in the city people were from give us a better idea of Hawkmoth's position?"

"It will," she told him, "but you need to look at the bigger picture. Instead of focusing on Hawkmoth's condition, we must first examine the human condition as a whole." Marinette picked up a pen and flipped Adrien's paper over, drawing out three separate columns. "We are going to be operating on a lot of assumptions here, so let's get our ideas straight."

She pointed to the top of each column. "What we know about Hawkmoth, what we think we know about him, and we need to know about him."

"Well the last one is easy," Adrien said. "We need to know who he is." Marinette jotted the idea down. Beneath it, she added her own questions.

"Why does he do it? What is his motive?"

Adrien looked at her. "How do we stop him?"

She nodded, drawing a box around the last question, separating it from the rest of their list. "That one's for Ladybug and Chat Noir," she told him grimly.

A beat passed.

"So," Marinette began again, "what do we know about Hawkmoth?"

"He's a man, or at least he identifies as one," Adrien said. Marinette nodded. "There's evidence in akuma victim interviews, and that one time Ladybug and Chat Noir saw him." Adrien paused. "They've never said anything to indicate otherwise."

"We know that he wants o- Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses."

"And he lost someone important to him."

Marinette looked up at him. "Well, do we know that for sure?" she asked. "Has anyone ever came out and said that?"

Adrien sighed and shook his head. "Okay, so we know nothing."

"Hey now," Marinette poked his shoulder. "Trust the process. We've been working for what" -she checked her watch- "fifteen minutes?"

Adrien smiled lightly, mentally berating himself for doubting Marinette. Thinking about Hawkmoth and the fight ahead sent a little bit of anxiety, maybe adrenaline, through his body.

"Alright, so those are all the facts we know, and some of the facts we want to know." Marinette drew a line underneath everything they had written so far. "Now let's add some of the assumptions we're making, and it'll give us a more complete picture of the problem." Adrien nodded, following along with her idea. "Now let's pretend that everything you think is true about Hawkmoth is. If that's the case, then who is he?" Marinette started another list below the previous ones.

"I think he's a parent, missing his child or maybe a spouse. He knew about the existence of miraculouses prior to the event that changed his life, and didn't begin to use his until he knew the cat and the ladybug miraculouses were out there. He's desperate enough to target civilians, but not yet desperate enough to really hurt anyone beyond the mental strain he puts on his victims. I don't think he could be much older than forty-five." Marinette jotted down her points in a bulleted list. Adrien nodded, feeling quite in awe of Marinette's analysis. He didn't think anyone thought like he did.

"So," she continued, "maybe we begin by operating under the assumptions that anyone missing a child or partner in the time leading up to Hawkmoth's appearance could, in fact, be him."

"Mari," Adrien placed his hand over hers, "you took the words right out of my mouth. You're an absolute genius."

She blushed, averting her gaze. "Far from it, actually."

"Where did you learn to think like this?" Adrien was amazed by her processing skills. Ideas that he himself had thought of over years and years had come to Marinette in a matter of minutes. He always knew she was sharp, but he didn't grasp how sharp she was until that moment. Adrien smiled. He knew he picked the right person for the job.

"Adrien, this doesn't really mean anything. We're going off some educated guesses here. If everyone we find checks out, we might need to rework the strategy and start all over. Even so, there's so many people in this city, all who have probably lost someone in the last decade. Who knows if we'll actually figure it out?"

"I know. But this is the best we got," he told her. "I want to go off of these assumptions, but also narrow it down geographically. I organized a chart of all the akuma attack victims – one with where they live and another with the location of their akumatization. I want to start in each of the top arrondissements before moving on to the weird outlier akumas."

"That's a good idea." She paused. "If you already know someone's having a bad day, then it would be way easier to akumatize them." A beat. "We should start considering the idea that Hawkmoth might be someone we know."

Adrien shuddered. The thought wasn't unheard of, but it definitely wasn't comforting. Together, elbow to elbow in the city library, the pair began to sift through years and years of information, in hopes of outing the man who had taken their childhoods.

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**let me know what you think! (i have so much more on the way!)**


	10. ch 10

**mlb-shit-post on tumblr. mlb_shit_post on twitter.**

* * *

A couple of days later, Adrien set a coffee cup on the table next to Marinette. He smiled at her and set his own down, pulling out a chair. She hadn't noticed him yet, but he had sure noticed her. "Howdy partner," he told her in his best American accent.

"Hey Adrien," she picked up the cup he sat down beside her and took a sip.

"Are you ready for another study date this week?"

Marinette nearly spat out the drink in her mouth. She quickly set the cup back down and raised her hands to her mouth. Adrien laughed.

"I'm sorry, did that startle you?" he asked, turning the charm up.

Marinette shook her head. "No – nope, it did not."

Adrien smiled a little wider. It totally did. "Is it okay if we call it that?" he smiled, and leaned in a little closer.

"Of course!" A bright red blush crept up Marinette's cheeks. "I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be okay."

He looked at her with a silly smile on his face and said nothing. She reached out and pushed his shoulder away with minimal pressure. Adrien's heart skipped a beat. It was really nice that they were so close. Adrien hoped that the hints he was dropping were being well received, but knowing Marinette he couldn't even be sure that they were reaching their destination. Regardless, it made him happy to think about her liking him like he liked her.

Adrien leaned back in his chair and set his own coffee on the table and turning his attention to Marinette, as if his attentions had ever left her. "How was your night?"

Marinette smiled at him, continuing to draw in her sketchbook. She seemed to be partially through an evening gown. She shot a quick glance at him before responding. "It was alright. All of these akuma attacks have been making me pretty nervous."

Adrien pushed his lips together. He hated that the attacks made Marinette nervous. Akumas were just another part of life growing up, and his generation was becoming desensitized to them. The thought of children being born who had never known anything but the akuma attacks made Adrien want to puke. To them, the collateral damage, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was a part of everyday life. People relied on Ladybug's miraculous cure to purify and to save them, to heal them and to protect them. But people didn't realize the toll it took on their team's morale. Each purified akuma left them no closer to ridding the city of its infestation. It would be only a matter of time before even Paris's morale began to crack.

Adrien placed his hand over Marinette's. "It just makes the work we are doing that much more important."

Marinette nodded glumly. The pair sat in silence for a half-second, the rest of the world disappearing. For a second Adrien could've sworn he felt that Marinette understood the fight the way he did, not as a bystander, but as a participant.

Their moment was broken by Felix, who appeared out of nowhere and placed his hands on Marinette's shoulders. "What research project?" he asked innocently. Marinette jumped, squirming out of Felix's grasp and spinning around in her chair to lock eyes with him. Adrien felt like he was about to pop off.

"Did I give you permission to touch me?" she asked. Her soft and approachable demeanor shifted quickly to something more authoritative. It was a side of Marinette that Adrien hadn't seen in a while. Not since Lila's reign of terror.

"Excuse me?" Felix's hands ejected from Marinette's shoulders flying up to rest across his chest defensively. Adrien tried not to smirk. If there was one thing he knew about Marinette, it was that she could easily take care of herself.

"I said, did I give you permission to touch me?" she repeated herself.

Felix's face turned beet red. "I'm sorry, Marinette, it won't ever happen again." He left quickly in an attempt to save whatever dignity he had left.

Marinette turned back to Adrien, this time grasping her warm coffee between both hands. "Why does every man in this city think they can touch a woman without her consent?"

"Believe it or not, my line of work lets me understand that issue better than most."

Marinette laughed. "We'll just have to keep an eye out for each other then."

Adrien smiled and took another sip of his coffee. "After a performance like that I feel pretty assured that you need less help than I do. You look like you can handle yourself just fine." Marinette rolled her eyes. "No, I'm serious Mari. Do you think you have time to become my new bodyguard?" The pair laughed at the thought, but deep down Adrien wanted to use any excuse he could find to spend more time with such an incredible woman. Later in the day, the pair met up to continue their mission.

"So I've been thinking," Marinette said, "that we should start profiling the akuma victims. I think they're all important but I want to focus on our school life." Adrien nodded. "Whoever Hawkmoth is, assuming we're still operating under the assumption that he knows or has connections to the majority of akuma victims, he knows us. He knows these halls- this school. And he's not afraid to put us at risk."

The pair put their heads together compiling a list of akuma victims with connections to the school.

Adrien blinked. "Wow, this is very strange." Nearly every person in their class, the surrounding classes, and the staff had been akumatized more than once. Except for him and Marinette. "Are we," he asked, nearly shaking, "the common denominator?"

"No," Marinette said quickly, "we can't be."

"Alya and Nino have been akumatized more than anyone else, and they're the closest to us. And I haven't so much as seen a butterfly in the last six years."

Marinette looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "But I have," she told him. His eyes shifted from concern to a more puzzled look.

"Are you telling me that you were almost akumatized, but you resisted?" he asked. "Mari, you might be the first person to ever do that."

Marinette brushed it off as quickly as possible. "I doubt that," she told him.

"But if I've never seen an akuma like that, as the butterfly, does that make _me _the epicenter?"

Marinette placed her hand softly over his. "Adri, we can't afford to think that way. You are one of the most positive people I know. Even though you've had a hard life and a bad time at home, you still manage to lift up so many people. Do you know how many akumas you have prevented?" She paused. "Everyone loves you Adrien. Whereas my actions and words have caused a lot more trouble."

"But Mari, none of that is your fault."

"And none of it is yours either Adrien."

He nodded. "You're right." Her small fingers wrapped around his, squeezed, and then let go. "It's a slow going process."

"Hey," Marinette smiled, "if it was easy, someone would have figured it out already."

Adrien smiled too, but Ladybug and Chat Noir both knew they were running out of time.

* * *

**short one this week, sorry! i've got more cookin. as always, let me know what you think!**


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